The invention relates to a device for the withdrawal of individual flat items of mail from a decollating section.
The flow of mail generated in the decollating section is mechanically gripped and carried along at high speed by rigid, driven transfer rollers and by pressure rollers disposed on the opposite side on a unilaterally spring-loaded rocker or by belts running over these rollers (DE 26 13 261 A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,074,540, 6,003,857). In this case, a gap in the only unilaterally gripped items of mail is to be noted in the belt transfer to the transfer rollers. Short items of mail are therefore held only partially, which in an adverse situation may lead to conveying malfunctions and to rotation of and/or damage to items of mail. The items of mail are centred by means of guide elements relative to the transfer/pressure rollers. Thin items of mail run at a much more advantageous angle into the roller pair than thick items of mail. In the case of thick items of mail, their leading edges run at a disadvantageous angle into these transfer/pressure rollers and are squashed against the rollers.
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,925 a device is known, in which within a decollating section a guide roller of a conveyor belt is disposed together with transfer rollers on a guide axle. In this case, the conveyor belt and the transfer rollers are driven independently of one another by a single motor. After final decollation by means of a decollating roller, the items of mail at the exit of the decollating section are transferred to a transfer roller and a pressure roller of a transfer region adjoining the decollating section. In this case, the pressure roller, which is mounted pivotably at a locally fixed fulcrum situated laterally offset from the conveying channel, is pressed by the action of a spring towards the transfer roller. A pivotably mounted plate forms an inlet for the transfer region.
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,732 a device is known, in which at the exit of a decollating section guide-rollers of a conveyor belt and transfer rollers of a transfer region are jointly driven and disposed in a fixed manner on a common guide axle. On the opposite side of the conveying path at the level of the transfer rollers there are disposed on pivotable arms guide rollers, extending over which are belts that form an inlet of the transfer region.
From EP 0 060 596 B1 a device is known, in which at the exit of a decollating section a guide roller of a conveyor belt and a further guide roller of a further conveyor belt are disposed in a jointly driven manner on an axle. Disposed upstream of the exit of the decollating section are rollers, which are mounted opposite the conveyor belts on a pivotable frame and extending over which is a frame that forms an inlet. The belt forming the inlet and the rollers associated therewith are driven in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the items of mail. From the exit of the decollating section the decollated items of mail are transferred to belts of a transfer region, which extend over transfer rollers.